MISSOULA — Thousands of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) employees are losing their jobs — including 360 workers in Montana.

The layoffs are part of a larger push by the Trump administration to shrink the federal workforce and slash government spending.

Other federal agencies including the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration are planning similar cuts.

The cuts at the USFS will reduce the agency's workforce of around 35,000 employees by about 10%.
The move primarily targets employees still within their probationary period.

Public safety employees within the USFS are exempt and firefighter jobs also appear to be unaffected — but other roles that support wildfire prevention are being cut.

It's still unclear exactly which positions are being eliminated in Montana.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson released the following statement to MTN: 

- Reporting from KTVQ in Billings included in this report.